Beltre to miss opening round of WBC with calf strain

Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre will miss the first round of the upcoming World Baseball Classic due to a Grade 1 strain of his left calf, the club announced Friday, though the 37-year-old hopes to represent his native Dominican Republic later in the tournament.

"If I feel 100 percent, I'll go play, but I am not going to force anything," Beltre said, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. "My main concern is to be ready for the season. We have a lot to accomplish as a team. That's the reason why I am here."

Beltre, who has averaged 152 games per season since 2012, injured his calf working out at his California home on Valentine's Day and is expected to need two-to-three weeks to recuperate, meaning his countrymen will be without him March 9 when they take on Team Canada in their first game of the tournament.

The Dominican Republic won the WBC without Beltre in 2013, though, and if, in his absence, they can manage either the best or second-best record of the four teams in their opening-round pool - featuring USA, Canada, and Colombia the reigning champs might get the four-time All-Star back for the remainder of the tournament.

"If in two weeks I feel I can do everything and not hold back ... if I feel I can play, I'll play," Beltre said. "If it's not 100 percent and I don't feel I can play, I won't play. But I don't know how I'll feel in two weeks. Obviously I want to play, but I've got to be smart about it. I don't want to be selfish."